There’s No Such Thing As Men’s Work And This Photo Series Proves It

By KC Ifeanyi , May 11, 2017

Last year, photographer Chris Crisman was at lunch with some associates when one of them mentioned that her friend recently switched careers and is now a butcher. Realizing that he had never met a female butcher, Crisman asked for an introduction and soon found himself photographing Heather Marold Thomason in her shop a few weeks later. That photoshoot became the catalyst for Women’s Work, an ongoing portrait series of women working jobs that conventional society would deem for men.

“I was raised to believe that I could do whatever I wanted to when I grew up. I want to pass down a similar message to my children and without caveats,” Crisman said in an interview with aPhotoEditor. “I want to raise my children knowing that their dreams have no limits and that they have parents supporting them to dive into anything they feel passionate about.”

Kris Alvarez, Senior Geologist at the Round Mountain Gold Mine in Nevada, mapping mine sidewalls in preparation for the next phase of development on the 55-mile site. [Photos: Chris Crisman]

Women’s Work features women in a wide range of careers, including firefighter, lobster fisher, brewer, and miner. It’s a simple idea that, hopefully, will continue to chip away misogynistic thinking in the workforce that some jobs just aren’t for women. As Crisman stated: “Gender should not determine professional opportunities.”

“Gender should not determine professional opportunities.”

Last year, photographer Chris Crisman was at lunch with some associates when one of them mentioned that her friend recently switched careers and is now a butcher. Realizing that he had never met a female butcher, Crisman asked for an introduction and soon found himself photographing Heather Marold Thomason in her shop a few weeks later. That photoshoot became the catalyst for Women’s Work, an ongoing portrait series of women working jobs that conventional society would deem for men.

 

 

Carol Warn, Leach Pad Operator, Marigold Mining Company, Valmy, NV. [Photos: Chris Crisman]

Christina Burris, Brewer and Operations Manager, St. Benjamin’s Brewing, Philadelphia, PA. [Photos: Chris Crisman]

Nancy Poli, Pig Farmer, Stryker Farms, Saylorsburg, PA [Photos: Chris Crisman]

Beth Beverly, Taxidermist, Philadelphia, PA. See more of her work at Diamond Tooth Taxidermy. [Photos: Chris Crisman]

Judy Bowman, Process Operator, Round Mountain Gold Mine, Round Mountain, NV. [Photos: Chris Crisman]

Jordan Ainsworth, Mill Operator, Round Mountain Gold Mine, Round Mountain, NV. She is a fourth generation miner and third generation of mining females in her family. [Photos: Chris Crisman]

Leeann Johnson, Haul Truck Driver, Round Mountain Gold Mine. [Photos: Chris Crisman]

Heather Marold Thomason is the Head Butcher at Kensington Quarters in Philadelphia. In just a few years, she shifted her career in web design and is now a force in the sustainable food movement. [Photos: Chris Crisman]

Alison Goldblum is a talented and inspiring property developer in Philadelphia, PA. She also happens to be a great friend to our family and a mentor to my wife. [Photos: Chris Crisman]

Mindy Gabriel, firefighter, Upper Arlington, Ohio, for Women’s Work. [Photos: Chris Crisman]

Sadie Samuels, Lobster Fisher, Rockport, ME. [Photos: Chris Crisman]

 

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